Lincoln Riley’s new offense won’t hum without an engine.

The Oklahoma offensive coordinator is tasked with sparking the Sooners attack by returning OU’s passing game to the standard that helped carry Bob Stoops' team to its last BCS title game appearance in 2008.

Yet, the rebirth of OU’s explosive passing offense won’t happen without better quarterback play.

When Riley goes into detail about what he’s looking for in a quarterback, he removes any doubt that a quarterback’s success in his offense is more likely to be a result of intangibles than physical traits.

“I just want a great player there,” he said. “You can go on down the line and look at places that have used this version of the offense. We’ve had tall, we’ve had short, we’ve had fast, we’ve had slow.”

Intangibles like quick, sound decision-making and leadership will rise to the forefront at quarterback in Riley’s offense. If the quarterback can consistently make the right decision and execute with precision, the defense is left searching for answers.

“We have to have a guy who can make decisions,” Riley said. "We have to have a guy that’s very accurate with the football. We want a guy who is a winner. We want a guy who, when he’s out there in the huddle and out there playing, the other 10 guys out there with him play better. If they can do those few things, then we’ll build it around the other characteristics that he may have or may not have.”

Great decisions and efficient execution were foreign to OU’s passing offense for the bulk of 2014 as the passing game took a nosedive when leading receiver Sterling Shepard went down with injury. A Sooners squad that threw as many interceptions as touchdowns in 2014 (17) never looked like the explosive offenses that had become commonplace in Norman during the program's run of Big 12 titles.

Inconsistency has become a signature of Trevor Knight, who can look like one of the nation’s top signal-callers on one Saturday then make costly mistakes the next. The sophomore’s 2014 campaign was marred by three game-changing interceptions in OU’s first three losses to TCU, Kansas State and Baylor but also supplemented by a six-touchdown outburst against Iowa State and a efficient performance in a home win against Tennessee.

Cody Thomas, who replaced Knight as the starter during OU’s final three regular season games after Knight was injured, had plenty of struggles of his own during his first extended collegiate action. He passed for 342 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions in three starts.

It’s not hard to see why that duo has sparked a search for hope. And hope’s name is Baker Mayfield.

But don’t pencil the Texas Tech transfer in as the Sooners’ starter, despite his extensive experience in the offense and impressive work on the scout team while sitting out the season due to transfer rules.

“He’s a very good player," Riley said of Mayfield. “We’re gonna be very blessed in that quarterback room. I’ve heard people on the outside say that’s a question mark. To me, we have three guys in that room who have started major college football games. There’s plenty to work with in that group.”

And, as the quarterbacks coach, it all falls on Riley. He has confidence that trio of quarterbacks can get it done, so any struggles OU has at the quarterback position this fall will be accompanied with disappointment. Not just disappointment in their growth and development, but queries into the decision to be content with them instead of looking to add another option behind center.

We’ve seen Air Raid-style offenses transform other quarterbacks into stars, with TCU’s Trevone Boykin as the most recent example. Lack of talent hasn’t been the reason for Knight's inconsistency. Mayfield’s credentials are the best of the bunch, but his career touchdown to interception ratio (12:9) looks awfully similar to Knight’s (23:17). Add Thomas and redshirt freshman Justice Hansen, and OU has four quarterbacks with resumes that would lead you to believe someone can get the job done.

There is not a talent vacuum at the position, but there isn't a go-to guy either.

“We have what we need in that room to be successful,” Riley said. “We have to get it implemented and get those guys coached.”